Pokémon: Shattered Four
by CoughCoughSomva
Summary: Avery is a renown contest winner. Atri is a resigned Indigo League Champion. Under normal circumstances, the two would never cross paths. But when the ominous terrorist group GLARE attacks Johto, they are forced to work together to survive. But as they journey together, they soon find out that fixing this shattered region is going to be harder then they thought. 10 Years after S&M
1. Atri: Chapter I

AU: Hello Everyone! So this is the first chapter of _Shattered Four_. A couple of things to preface is that this is a project that is currently still being worked on. We have a team of three people currently working on it together and we have made some serious progress.

Also when reading this story you are able to read one characters chapter and not the other for it to still make sense. So that means you can read the two's chapters out of order. Despite this it is recommended that you read both chapters. If you want updates on how much progress has been made on the story, it is best if you are on the discord server as we will be discussing stuff there as well as posting updates. The link to it can be found on my page.

Also we would LOVE reviews because we want to make this story even better. So we encourage you to instead of giving reviews like "wow great story" to give us constructive criticism.

Anyway without further ado, please enjoy and follow the story for more in the future!

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Atri was on the top of his house, standing on the black and grey roof lining as the sun went down, casting an orange sunset sky below, some of which also reflected into a nearby light blue river. He was never able to cross through the other side of the daunting river, however, as it was too thick for a normal person to cross. He would need a Pokémon to do that, a water typed creature so he could sail across the body of water. At that moment he made it his goal to reach the other side so he could finally solve the mystery. What was on the other side of that river.

The young boy had been chatsized by his young mother a couple minutes ago, " _I swear you gotta get a haircut one day."_ Her nagging voice echoed inside his head. She had gone off to a nearby city for the evening to discuss a topics with the town regarding the current state of the Indigo League challenge. This meeting was being held in Violet City, one of the most historical places in Johto, with its importance standing just behind that of the deserted Ecruteak City. He didn't give much care to trivial politics though, being nine. All that mattered to him was that his annoying mother was gone and he finally had some space to breath and time to collect his thoughts.

A nearby young man caught the stare down that Atri was giving the other side of the river, so as he adjusted his thin-framed glasses he began to stroll over. His white lab coat failed to reflect the sunlight that Atri was so infatuated with. "I can't believe that your mother would let you on the roof," his young but mature voice split through the air, grabbing Atri's attention.

Atri turned to him, "Professor Elm, aren't you supposed to be at some meeting or whatever?"

Professor Elm sighed, dropping his brown bookbag onto the dirt area that comprised the center of the town. "Well," he begun, "I am busy with Pokémon research and stuff of the sort. It's quite the odyssey, really." He sat down on the ground, smirking as he opened his book bag to reveal a blue and red Pokeball from the main pouch. He put it above him so that Atri could see. "This is a Lure Ball. It contains a water Pokémon."

Atri turned back towards the sparkling river, "Like one that could cross that river?"

Elm laughed, "Why of course Atri, it could indeed. I got this from the nearby Daycare Center over near Goldenrod. They hatched it for me so I have no idea what's inside!"

"Can I see?" Atri quickly stomped off of the rooftop, heading down a flight of metal stairs, and walking along the thin grass, letting his sandals march through each blade. He sat opposite of Elm with lit eyes and an eager smile. "Show me!"

"Alright then." Elm strung his arm back, ready to throw the Pokeball into the air. He threw the Pokeball vertically into the air. As the ball opened into two halves, a red blob of light came out, transforming into what seemed to be a blue crocodile-like creature. It fell through the air to land between Elm and Atri. "Well well," Elm blinked his eyes a few times and readjusted his glasses with the quick flick of his hand, "I'll be damned, it's a Totodile."

"What's a Totodile?"

"A Pokémon normally given to starting trainers. I guess I'll let the next one along have it, if the League lets me, that is." Elm winked at Atri before holding the Lure Ball out to Totodile. The creature transformed into a particle of blue light that went inside of the sphere, the latches closing on the sides. Elm stood up, searching for his lab which he finally found at his left.

"I suppose I should go see what else this Pokémon can do." He picked up his book bag and walked inside, kicking the door open. "Later Atri!"

" _Why does he always have kick the door open?"_ Atri wondered to himself as he watched Elm walk into his lab, leaving the door wide open. He knew that he'd end up with that Totodile, or at least that was his wish. He reached out to the sky as the orange sky faded away into nothing, "I'm gonna be a trainer one day."

 _8 Years Later…_

Sirens wailed as a flood of revolutionaries filled the street. A few carried banners emblazoned with the callsign marking of the Pokémon gyms as they did. The clamour of protest ran throughout the once peaceful city as Atri scrambled to escape to safety. The rising tensions in Johto had begun to spill over into other regions such as Kanto and Sinnoh, since Atri had resigned from his spot as Champion of the Indigo League. When taking up the mantle as the figurehead of the League, he hadn't expected the political turmoil that would follow. Most people failed to understand that the Champion had little power over the decisions made that were made by the Four. Yet the position inherently attracted attention. And not the good kind. All the more reason to stay hidden.

Atri slipped down the alley, creeping along on the balls of his feet in an attempt to stay quiet. Rainfall had just recently fallen upon Eterna City, forming puddles in spots the drains did not reach. Everything was covered in a wet sheen, from the buildings to the sidewalks. Gutters and access stairways dripped with leftover water from the night before which produced a methodical calming 'plop' when hitting the ground. Yet this serenity was disturbed by an uproar from town square. With his attention drawn, Atri tentatively made his way down the length of the alleyway as he avoided the pools of water in his path. He stayed close to the wall in the dark early morning shade not wanting to be easily seen by any passerbys. Eterna for the most part from what he had seen, was a lawful city. But, nonetheless not knowing much other than what a tourist brochure would say about it, he was clueless as to what kind of crime took place in the back streets. Quite frankly Atri wasn't too eager to find out for himself. So he quickly and quietly made his way over to a dumpster that sat at the end of the cramped street and crouched behind it as he settled in for the show. The voices were clearer now being closer to the source of the sound, with them being amplified to an even greater extent after he poked his head out from behind the trash container.

"We want reform!" They all chanted with an obvious lack of unison. "We want change! Bring down the Four! Bring down the Four!" The air was charged with anger and tension. People started to throw rocks at an ancient Palkia statue, scuffing the Pokémon's stone complexion. The protesters doned signs and pickets with a variety of slogans painted on lazily. Some just had the letters GLARE scrawled across the length of their cardboard. Others were an outcry for their government to support GLARE. Either way, these deluded people failed to understand what they were fighting for, clear by their support for such a radical terrorist cell. Yet this came as no surprise to Atri. How could these people have an informed opinion when they stood nearly half a continent away from the events at hand.

Suddenly, the contents within dumpster rustled lightly. Yet Atri was too entranced by the protest at hand to be disturbed by this. That is until the Trubbish hopped out. The walking bag of trash coiled it's legs and sprung from the container blocking the vision of Atri as it called out. "TRUBBIIISH". Atri let out an ear piercing screech as he fell on his ass and readied a Pokeball in his right hand. He could feel the passion burning from the light metal sphere, the Feraligatr inside prepared to protect its owner at a moments notice. But as the Trubbish hit the ground, it took one glance at Atri then turned its attention elsewhere. More specifically, the angry crowd that was now staring at the champion, sitting on the ground. Atri was a striking young man who stood out in most crowds making his identification an easy task. After the astonishment had worn off, they returned to chanting their intimidating slogan. "Kill the Four! Kill the Four!"

Except this time they had a target.

Atri and Trubbish both turned on their heels and bolted down the alley, attempting to navigate the maze of dirty streets. With the buildings towering over him, discerning where he was became a near impossible task. But it didn't matter where he came out. He just had to get off the ground.

The crowd of protesters stayed hot on his trail, forcing him to fall off track and to take an obscure side street. He could hear the pounding of footfalls growing louder as they continued to gain on him. Their chanting continued as a constant reminder that he was in danger. He kept glancing back whenever he had the chance, trying to gauge the distance between him and the pack of people, charging like a swarm of Tauros. Looking back one more time Atri saw that their numbers had decreased. The group had now thinned, containing only the aggressors of the protest. At this point they had dropped their signs to focus all of their energy to the pursuit. Luckily he seemed to be gaining distance from them. Their bodies not being able to keep up the the metabolism of the teenager. He could tell they were growing increasingly more tired.

Unfortunately he failed to notice a pothole in the path ahead. With all the recent rainfall, the path had become weakened, as well as significantly more slick.

As Atri's foot caught on the dip in the road, he turned around just soon enough to see the concrete. His vision swam as stars exploded into existence before his eyes. The sound of blood rushing to his head dulled the shouts of the revolutionaries around him. _Sleeeep._ How easy it would be to float around in the darkness forever without a care. How easy it would be…

 _THUMP_

The darkness quickly faded back into the world as a foot was driven straight into his gut. He could feel his stomach churn as another blow was delivered soon after.

A man hovered only inches above Atri's face, so close that he could smell the Charizard Whiskey on his breath. Definitely a heavy drinker. As he spoke, spitle sprayed onto Atri's face. "Think your a big shot eh?" he asked tauntingly. "Well you I think you're uh.. monsters!"

The man turned his head to look at the other protester. He was seemingly taller than the man crouching before Atri but other than that, the features were indistinguishable, the pain from the kicks dampening his senses. "You. Come over here and give him what he deserves. Let's get one less scum off out of this world" he said maliciously.

"Kill the Four…" the tall one muttered, obviously not as enthusiastic.

Atri tried desperately to gather himself but he was a mess. Blood was now trickling down the ridge of his nose from the wound on his forehead. The pain was excruciating, shooting through his body like the current of a Jolteon, incapacitating him. ' _This is it'_ he thought as the tall one made his way over. The man pulled a Pokeball off of his belt preparing to finish the job. Pressing the button, an Aegislash was released from the capsule in a flash of light, where it materialized just feet away from Atri. The blade Pokémon hovered over the ground as it made its way to it's target as the nervous trainer followed closely behind.

The alcoholic rose to his feet and began to walk away as the Aegislash approached, giving it plenty of space to carry out its task. As he walked away he turned his head to briefly look at Atri. "See you in the Distortion World, kid."

The trainer caught up to his Pokémon as it hovered menacingly over Atri, who struggled to stand, his strength building slowly but surely. Unfortunately, his balance failed him as he fell back to the ground. The taller man glanced quickly at Atri but averted his gaze to the Pokémon in front of him. There was a sad look on the man's face, or maybe one of sympathy. Either way, he was determined to carry out his task.

He raised his head, looked at his companion and said "Aegislash, use sla-"

"TRUBBIIISH!"

The Trubbish that had scared Atri, jumped out in front of the Aegislash in a bold move of courage. Both the trainer and the Pokémon were startled as a result of the change in situation, in addition to the cry of the living trash bag. In an attempt to ward off the foes at hand, the Trubbish began to excrete a smog like gas. It's pores opened up and the green vapor came flowing out, creeping along the ground before beginning to rise and form into a cloud of noxious fumes. The smell hit Atri's nostrils like a freight train, overpowering all of his other senses and making his eyes water. Instinctively he covered his mouth and nose trying to negate the effects, to little avail.

Raising his head, he saw the Aegislash and the taller man falling back, trying to escape the grasp of the miasma. For the second time he climbed to his feet, using the nearby buildings wall as a support. The Trubbish had risked it's life as it stalled for time. He had to take advantage of it.

Atri clung to the wall as he shuffled along the path. He could see the opening he had been looking for. The wall of buildings split to reveal a baron street, one with sunlight pouring over the road like a flood. _One step, Two steps, Three steps._ He neared his saving grace as he counted his steps. Once in the open air he would have the chance to release his Charizard and take off into the sky. Fueled by adrenaline, Atri pushed on full steam ahead, ignoring the throbbing pain that sat at the bottom of his stomach. _Thirteen steps, Fourteen steps, Fifteen steps._ Finally he reached the opening in the alley that met up with an open road. Beams of sunlight, fell upon his face as he inhaled the fresh open air. Atri briefly turned his head to his assailants to find that only the tall man remained with his Aegislash close to him, both of which attempted to scramble away from the gases. But that was of no matter to him. He had made it out alive when he hadn't expected to. And that's all he could have asked for.

He stepped out onto the street for what felt like the first time in hours and collapsed to the ground. The morning sun had since risen further into the sky, lighting it ablaze with a deep orange hue. It really was a beautiful sight to see. Upon the backdrop of the sky, the green of the heavily cultured trees captured your attention. Atri could hear the sound of Starly's, singing their songs in harmony. This was the calm after the storm. The peace after the war.

Yet he could not be bothered to indulge himself in these niceties. Just because he had escaped didn't mean that the danger had dissipated. His face was still plastered all over Sinnoh as a target. Although Eterna was the capital of Sinnoh, protests took place across the region, spreading like wildfire. If he didn't get out, the heat was gonna get to him.

Atri straightened his posture as he rose from the ground. His thighs burned, the tendons shooting throbs of pain along his back as he stood. Knots had formed in a significant amount of his muscles, all of which tightened as his ligaments and bones worked together to push him to his feet. Along with this, came the still present pulse of pain from the back of Atri's head, a constant reminder that he had to get out of here.

His hand instinctively wandered over to his left hip where the majority of his Pokeballs were clipped, with the exception of the empty one that resided in his bag. Atri's fingers glided over the tops of the metal spheres, feeling the custom inscriptions form letters as well as the aura's of each being inside. Soon enough, his fingertips grazed the Pokeball he had been looking for. The smooth surface of the dome was disturbed by a _C_ that had been carefully etched into the metal. Atri wrapped his hand around the ball and yanked, freeing it from his belt with a single swift movement. The orb radiated with a heat that although felt untamed, also gave him a sense of comfort. As if it were an old friend wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

As Atri pressed his thumb into the round button at the center of the ball, a crack opened up and the ball began to come alive as the life force inside prepared to spring out at a moments notice. Know his Charizard's impatient nature, Atri swung his arm and released his grip on the ball, tossing it into the street before him. It cut through the air, exploding into a flash of light when reaching the top of it's arc. From it emerged a grand, dragon like Pokémon. It unfurled its large, leathery wings and let loose a roar from its maw as it reared its head.

Atri stumbled over to the beast cautiously. He could feel the heat emanating from the Pokémon, almost like an aura of it's rage. Although he had caught the Charizard, it still acted on it's primitive nature of aggression quite often. Many people often forget that Pokémon are partners rather than slaves. This fatal mistake led to injuries every year, to both parties.

As he approached the Charizard, he put a hand out to the snout of the animal as a peace offering. The Pokémon sniffed at his hand as it identified the boy in front of him. It pressed it's nose to his hand closer, smelling closely.

It then crouched on all fours as Atri nodded to it. As it folded it's wings up so that Atri would have a place to sit, he explained to Charizard the plan. How much of it the Pokémon understood was up to interpretation, but it understood enough to understand it was flying and where the destination was. And that was all he needed from the beast.

As Charizard zipped through the air, Atri's hair was sent blowing messily, the brown strands multiple times getting in his face. The flames that burned on the tip of Pokémon's orange tail, melted the small snowflakes that fell as it illuminated the cloudy sky, like a lighthouse in a storm. Atri noticed the small town below that had been coated in white, covered by an endless snowfall. From the sky, he could see SnowPoint City's harbor, which flowed due to the salt water of the sea as well as the movement of the waves.

"Char! Down there!" Atri shouted, his voice piercing through the cutting winds as he released a hand from the dragon to point at the building below. Charizard growled as a sign of acknowledgement as it began to descend slowly to the powder covered ground below. It's wings beat as it landed, stirring up a small scale blizzard of its own.

Atri hopped off of Charizard and again, unclipping his Pokeball as he pressed the center button of the device to recapture his companion.

His feet began to get cold under the weight of the cities snowdrift, more of it falling endlessly from the sky. The small city had an old Gym, a Pokémon Center, and a now-defunct PokeMart, along with a few houses here and there. Atri's breath had returned to normal after both the flight and the beating from the alcoholic he had endured hours before. He began walking through the snow.

The old PokeMart came with no surprise to be unlocked. Ever since the integration of PokeMarts into Poke Centers, the buildings had been cleared out and had fallen into disrepair. Atri pushed the glass door open using his shoulder with all his strength as it opened. The PokeMart was abandoned, dust on the counters and with little supplies left to bare on the now-broken and torn down shelves. Atri had a plan for a situation like this, and he had made sure to bring the necessary gear for it.

Plopping out onto the ground Atri opened his bag, trying to execute his plan. Once it was open he digged around for a few moments, setting the bag aside as he brought out the clothes. The clothes were a blue pair of shorts, a light blue t-shirt with a black PokeBall on it, and a white short-sleeved jacket. Even if they were girly looking clothes, his name led the disguise well enough.

Atri took off his bloody jacket and shirt, pulling the somewhat tight blue t-shirt over himself as it snugged along his body. The white jacket fit over it almost perfectly. He had to look legit to pass through without any suspicion. Taking off his jeans, Atri slipped on the blue shorts, his legs suddenly becoming cold. As they were tight Atri adjusted the shorts to feel comfortable. The only time he had worn these clothes were when he had initially, and awkwardly, bought them. He remembers the odd stare the PokeMart employee gave him. But Atri didn't care for the odd stare as it was his ticket out of there. Packing up his things and old clothes he searched the PokeMart for some tissues to wipe off the blood from his right hand. Finding the last bits on a shelf at the back he cleaned the blood from his hands.

Heading out from the PokeMart, Atri closed it back up as if he had never been there. He didn't care- PokeMarts were beginning to decline, and Snowpoint's PokeMart was no exception to this new fact.

Atri spotted his next ticket out of there- a giant boat. Rushing over to the boat he snuck into a crowd of people walking through with his disguise is working like a charm. No one ever realized that he was the Champion of the Indigo League. No one throwing Aegislash's at him, no one attacking. Not a single soul in the line knew his true identity.

An attendant, dressed like a sailor, was taking the information of passengers as they stepped up in line. When it was his turn, Atri took his pre purchased ticket out of his back shorts pocket and handed it to the sailor. The large and buff man looked it over closely, checking to make sure it was not a counterfeit. After he was satisfied with his search, he ripped off the stub and handed it back to Atri. With this the attendant handed him a key to Room 11, that of which was connected to a small wooden board with the inscription " _Property of S.S. Waillord_ "

Atri made his way through the restaurant as he proceeded to the passenger rooms, what was located upstairs. Many classy passengers appeared to be enjoying themselves on the cruise ship, some ordering as much as humanly possible. Of course they weren't going to eat all of that food, but it was more of a show of wealth than anything else. It wasn't his place to judge though so he ignored them and continued up white tiled stairs located to his right at the end of the dining hall which brought him to the second floor and to the suites.

Heading through the hallways, Atri heard a familiar sound behind him like that of a crinkling plastic bag. Yet when he turned around, there were only other passengers at the end of the hall. He chalked the sound up to the other guest that had just entered the corridor and continued down the hall, scanning the gold placards for the number _11_ which would mark his room. Eventually, about half way down the hall, Atri found the door that he had been looking for. The tag on the wall next to the entrance read

 _Room 11_

 _Absol Suite_

Atri took the key he had been carrying and plunged it into the lock and twisted, with the door producing an audible _click._ With that, he turned the knob and swung the heavy fir door open. Atri entered the room finally feeling a sense of safety. It felt like the first time in forever. Inside, the walls were painted a shade grey with swirls of light blue like a cyclone. Atri took a seat on the edge of the bed on top of the neatly folded fur blanket.

Throwing his bag down onto the bed he stretched his arms and yawned, closing his eyes. When he opened them, a trash bag was clinging to his leg ferociously, so tightly that goop oozed out of its pores and onto his bear leg. Atri screamed, startled by the slimy Trubbish on his left leg, and the Trubbish… screamed? Right back.

"AIEEEIIAHHHIEHAIHHH!"

"TRUBBIIIISH!"


	2. Avery: Chapter I

The salty smell of crashing waves against worn down rocks wafted through the air that blew Avery's soft light brown hair back in an aesthetic spin. Her mother liked to put it in a small bun for her, on that still let her long hair flow down her back. She loved to sit atop the red railings outside the Vista Lighthouse every morning and watch the dark shadows of blue and pink Shellos slowly slither along the seashore, making their way home. The lunar light of the moon always felt so nice against her skin mixing with the mild breeze that blew through her favorite grey sweatshirt. She was enjoying the moment before an old voice called out from behind her.

"It's unsafe to sit on the railing, you know. The wind could blow you away." He croaked. Turning her head, Avery met the bright blue eyes of a smiling old man who seemed to be in his 60s. His brown trilby complemented his brown vest and almost completely bald head.

"It's unsafe for you to even be up here, old man. The wind could break your back." She giggled and the old man laughed hysterically. The kind elder was the owner of Vista Lighthouse, and well deserving of it. He was a nice man who would always let her visit the lighthouse whenever she wanted and in return he told her stories about his adventures. The old man stepped over to where Avery was sitting, his cane tapping along the outside porch of the lighthouse, that of which he Avery suspected had just newly built for her. She always talked about wanting to be able to stand outside the top of the lighthouse. The old man looked at her in such a way, that was both sad and sweet. His eyes were filled with the remains of past memories. He did this often, with a sad smile always ending up on his lips.

"You remind me of my son, Cyrus.. He would always come up here late at night and watch the sea. Well, before his obsession with machines of course.. Maybe that's why he dyed his hair blue.."

The old man continued, going on about his dream obsessed son and how he regrets not being there for him. She felt bad for the senior. Apparently one day, his son picked up and left from home, driven by his faciniation, until he supposedly dying the year after Avery had been born. She wanted to know more about who this man was and why he was so obsessed with machines. What drove him? Avery opened her mouth to ask old man more about Cyrus, but never got the chance to speak as she was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to her from the base of the lighthouse.

"Avery! It's getting late you need to come back home!" Yelled the a woman with long red hair that seemed to fade into a brown color, "If I don't come get her she'll be up there past midnight..." She muttered under her breath.

"Can't I stay, mom? I'm almost 10 now, old enough to travel the world!" Avery called down to her mother, slipping her legs between the chilly railings beneath her and letting her arms fly free into the air.

"No, and stop that! If you fell I'd be devastated!" The young mother huffed, "Avery Maverick Yurick get down here this instant!"

"Yes mother.." Avery drooped. She turned herself around and dropped down onto the deck from the railing, the force making a loud thump. She slid her into her feet into her black kitten heel shoes like butter. As she slid her feet into her shoes she felt something warm on her shoulder. A wrinkled old hand with black spots on it.

"Be safe out there, kiddo. The world of Pokémon is not only wonderful, but it can be dangerous." The old man teased, "They say Spiritomb come out at night time and eat away at your dreams." But Avery just giggled and waved the old man goodbye. She wasn't afraid of Pokémon. After all, they were just like her! She continued on thinking about the harmony and bonds that wove between Pokémon and humans as she slid down the railing of an oakwood staircase. As she slide down, she ran her hand along the rough dry marble walls of the lighthouse that secluded her from the outside world.

She was eventually led to the entrance where her mother stood with crossed arms, tapping her foot frantically. Ever since she was little, her red eyes always somewhat scared Avery, yet when she looked at Avery they lit up with joy. It reminded Avery of the cute Umbreon she saw on T.V. who protected a little boy from Team Rocket grunts that were trying to steal his Pokémon.

Avery's mother thanked the old man for letting Avery stay at the lighthouse, then grabbed her daughter by the hand as carried on their way. Treading along a paved rocky terrain they approached the bridge that connected the lighthouse to their house. The sleek blue panes those of which were guarded by railings, allowed her to lean over and see the water below her feet without the risk of falling in. Tentacool's spun in circles while breaching the surface near a various assortment of rocks in the water where Geodude's occasionally dwelled.

Avery's mother held her hand firmly, taking lead of their small Poochyena pack of two. As they grew closer to their house Avery wondered if her mother knew anything about the old man's son, since she so rudely interrupted their conversation earlier. She was hesitant to ask at first, feeling a lump in her throat that made it hard for her to speak. She didn't talk to her mother all that much, but maybe this would be a good time for them to bond.

"Mom?" She asked, looking up at her mother, slightly distracted by her hair's beautiful combination of red and brown in the moonlight. Not only was her mother's hair beautiful that night, but so were the stars.

"Yes, honey?" Avery's mother replied, pulling her close to her as they walked. Avery's cheek was pushed into the side of her wool coat.

"Have you ever heard the name Cyrus before?" Her cheek had already been warmed up by her mother's body heat. Her mother froze at the name 'Cyrus' and stopping dead in her tracks. She bent down and placed a freezing cold hand on Avery's cheeks, sucking away the warmth that is had previously contained. Her mother's eyes were widened like that of a Dusclops as she gave her a terrifying look.

"Did you just say 'Cyrus'..?" She looked at Avery concerningly.

"Yeah..?" Avery answered in a confused tone her voice quivering. Her mother's eyes started to scare her more now than ever before. What was she going to do to her? Can she even trust her own mother?

"Please, for the love of Arceus, never say that name again. Can you do that for me?" Although Avery didn't fully understand why, she could tell her mother was serious. She looked away and nodded, shielding her face from the spine-chilling grasp of her mother's face. It was as if she used to be part of some evil organization.

They walked the rest of the way home with a blanket of silence covering them both. All the houses in Sunyshore looked like castles, including hers. It stood right next the to colorful blue pokemart, which stuck out like a sore thumb in the medieval themed town. Then again, blue was kind of an odd color for a bridge too.

It wasn't until they got home that night did Avery start questioning why people would sometimes graffiti their house, throwing paper towel rolls and etching the "G" symbol into their door. Her mother would always just put it off. " _Stupid uppity brats.."_ She'd always say, " _Everyone should step back and view things from a bigger perspective."_ What did she mean by that? Avery never found out anything about her mother before she left on her mission to be a Pokémon trainer, maybe she never will..

 _Ding, dong!_

" _The ferry has arrived at its destination! Welcome to Sinnoh!"_ A cheerful female voice rang into Avery's ears, reviving her senses. She sat under the lower sheave of an old beaten down crane on a patch of pillow-soft snow. Her eyes followed the ridges of the rocky mountains that lined the dimly lit sky as they towered above the beautiful dark blue ocean. Chunks of ice, both big and small floated lazily across the surface of the water, occasionally bumping against a blue and white ferry that sat in the harbor. The ferry's color scheme was like that of a Wailord with blue on the top part of the boat and white on the bottom. The ferry also seemed to have tiny white eyes on the bow, but Avery couldn't tell if it was her imagination or not. The relaxing beat of a drum and soothing hip hop filled her ears with mellow sounds that calmed her mind, but it started to make her dizzy. Lazily, she plucked out her earbuds as a salt filled breeze stuffed her nose, sending a slight chill up her spine. Even the green parka she wore with warm fluff insides couldn't protect her from the fierce snowfall of Snowpoint City.

"Zzt-zzt! Wake up, Avery!" An electric voice rang from Avery's rPhone that attached to her wrist like a watch, "The ferry'zzz about to leave!"

"A-ah!" Avery frantically picked up her jet black bookbag and slung it around her shoulders as she ran into a fierce snowfall that lightly attacked her face in swarms. The silhouette of what seemed to be a rather tall teenage girl came into view as Avery reached the ferry. Her dark brown hair hung above her shoulders, shaking slightly as she shivered in the frigid conditions of Snowpoint. This coupled with the lack of a coat or any warm clothing worsened her freezing shudder. Despite the her looks, Avery couldn't help to wonder about the strange vibe that the girl gave off. She didn't want to get involved of course, but it didn't help drown her curiosity when she saw a small green Pokémon trailing behind the girl like a Greninja. As sneaky as the Pokémon was, it couldn't hide the foul odor it gave off as it wobbled passed Avery's feet.

"Excuse me, ma'am." A deep male voice politely interrupted her thoughts, "Your ticket, please?"

"Oh, right." Avery took a neatly folded ticket out of her pocket and handed it to a man wearing a white and blue sailor uniform. He was a very large man with short black hair and biceps like a goddamn Machamp, no exaggeration. It was of no surprise to her why the owners had this guy blocking the entrance to the ferry. There was no getting past this man without a ticket… except that little green Pokémon. The man took her ticket and gave a cute smile, tipping his sailor hat.

Avery brushed past him and continued onto the ferry, walking across a small bridge with nicely painted light blue wood flooring and metal railing that connected to the back of the ferry. The end of the ferry was also blue with a door left open right in front of her. The green Pokémon she saw earlier stood beside the open door and occasionally peaked into the room. Avery walked closer to the green Pokémon to get a closer look at what it was doing. When she got close to the Pokémon she bent down and tried to pick it up by the.. ears?

"Are you a garbage bag or a Pokémon?" Avery asked the Pokémon, but as she touched it's plastic ears, it slapped her hand away with it's.. hands? She almost puked at the feeling of the Pokémon's abomination of an arm touching her. Avery looked at her hand, noticing a plethora of random disgusting items had accumulated, stuck on by a sticky sludge like substance

"TRUBIISH!" The Pokémon screamed before it burst into the room it was once looking in, toppling over tables and smashing plates. Avery grit her teeth, her eyes shaping into a sharp glare.

"So much for being a sneaky Pokémon.." She muttered under her breath angrily. Getting up, she sprinted after the Pokémon, deciding that she was gonna teach it a lesson for slapping her hand away and making such a huge ruckus in what seemed to be the dining room of the ferry. As she began running, her rPhone lit up on her wrist, displaying the time with a Rotom-like face on the background.

"Trubbish, the trash bag Pokémon! Inhaling the gazz they belch will make you zzzleep for a wee-" Avery instinctively pressed the large "mute" button on the phone's screen with her pointer finger. The Rotom face on the screen opened its mouth and widened its eyes, surprised and offended.

"Not right now, Rotom." Avery sighed, rolling her eyes at the digital Pokémon. She loved her rPhone, but the problem with having a Pokémon that powers it is that you never know if you might anger it to the point where it runs away or attacks you. You have to befriend the Pokémon and make sure it's content with the way it is inside your phone.

"Excuse me! Ah, s-sorry!" Avery panicked as she ran through a museum of angry faces and unsatisfied customers. Some of them covering their noses and getting up from their seats. One woman wearing an expensive looking white Furfrou fur coat screamed as a table toppled over her, throwing silverware and a variety of accustomed cuisine all over the restaurant. A glass full of Grepa Wine shattered on the floor right next to the lady, soaking her coat. Another table clapped as Trubbish ran under their table and pulled the cover out from under it flawlessly without moving anything that sat atop. The white snowflake patterned table top cover followed Trubbish as it ran past the kitchen entrance and down a flight of stairs.

Avery proceeded to follow the Trubbish as her legs pumped vigorously, sending her bounding with every step. She was small and had waitressed a couple times in her life so she was practiced in the art of weaving through a crowd at reasonable speeds without bumping into people, especially in a restaurant. She rushed up the oakwood stairs, extending her arm down to her waist while she ran as she gripped the pokeball that clipped was to her belt. It was as cold as an ice cube and it sent a chill up her spine every time she grabbed it. At least it didn't freeze her entire hand like did to 5 years ago when she first got it. She remembered crying for an hour as her mother ran her hand under warm water as she attempted to dethaw her daughters fingers.

She unlatched the pokeball with a light _click_ from her belt, holding it out in front of her. She dug her pointer and middle fingers under the ball, flicking it up with her nails and the slight upward movement of her arm. The ball soared into the air up the stairs in the direction of the Trubbish, opening up into a blinding flash of light. As the ball fell back down again, Avery caught it with the swift swing of her arm. An icy blue colored Pokémon appeared from the ball standing on all four paws. It's ears and tail came to a sharp point much like an icicle.

"Glaceon! After that-"

"TRUBBIISH!" Trubbish interrupted.

"Yeah, that.." Avery sighed unenthusiastically.

" _Glay."_ Glaceon nodded, her completely white pupils giving off a very cold and serious look before she glanced away from Avery. Her voice sounded feminine and mature, but also reserved and sharp like that of an ice queen. With Avery close behind, Glaceon followed Trubbish's stench all the way to the top of the stairs where it took a right down a long corridor. The Trubbish had left a trail of assorted condiment packets while it ran, making it generally pretty easy to track down.

"There! Ice beam!" Avery ordered, pointing her finger down the wine painted walls of the corridor. Glaceon stopped in her tracks and planted her legs firm into the ground. She opened her small mouth where a little ball of light started to form. The ball got bigger and bigger, but before it got too big for her mouth, she crushed it with her teeth. This made a sound much similar to that of shattering glass as a icey-cold beam of energy was launched at the terrified Trubbish. The trash bag screamed and unrealistically jumped into the nearest open room, nearly escaping the deadly beam of ice that was hurtling toward it at a high velocity. The poor unfortunate soul inside the room shrieked in pure adult-rated terror, which sounded like a scream from one of those horror movies.

Avery rushed into the room as quick as she could, almost stumbling into the girl that appeared in the doorway of the suite. The girl was about her height, being taller by only a few inches. She had brown hair that reached to her shoulders, as she wore a white jacket over a tightly-fit blue t-shirt with a small blue bag thrown over her shoulder. Avery noticed a small detail that caught her attention- a couple of faded red stains on the PokéBall, oddly in the shape of a handprint.

As soon as Avery saw the blood on the Poké Ball, she slammed the door behind her shut with a loud _bang_. Turning to Glaceon, she found it was growling at the Trubbish which clung to the mysterious girl's left leg.

"Glaceon." Avery cautioned, "Seal the door with Ice beam, I don't trust any of this." Avery's tone became serious and cold, much like that of her Pokémon. The shape of her eyes began switching from a sweet and innocent round to a sharp and pensive glare as she looked over at the girl.

"Who are you?" She asked as the frosty breeze from Glaceon's ice beam produced goosebumps along the length her arms. She had already heard about the terrorist attacks that had been going on in Johto. And she was not about to let somebody as shady as this girl get away on a trip there without some kind of questioning...


End file.
